Comparison of Screen Readers

Windows
Windows Operating Systems include Narrator, a free pre-installed screen reader software. Although Narrator is included with all Windows computers, it is a basic screen reader that is not compatible with many software applications. Most Windows users prefer a more advanced screen reader, JAWS.
Released in 1989, one of the most widely used commercial screen readers is JAWS - Job Access with Speech. It is a program used by Microsoft Windows and reads the screen with a text-to-speech synthesizer or refreshable Braille display. It is used at the University of Illinois.
Another screen reader for Windows users is NVDA - NonVisual Desktop Access. NVDA is free and open-source; thus, it provides access to technology at no extra cost for blind and vision impaired users.
More information about screen readers onWindows Devices.
Apple
All new Apple devices come with VoiceOver, Apple's screen reader software. VoiceOver is pre-installed on Apple devices to provide accessible technology to everyone. VoiceOver works best with Mac OS and Apple software.
More information about screen readers on Apple Devices.
Android
TalkBack, produced by Google, is an open-source screen reader available for Android phones. With Talkback, standard Android user interface elements produce spoken feedback during user interaction.

Web-Based
ReadSpeaker is a web-based application that applies speech-to-text technology to speech-enable websites, RSS feeds, and online documents. Readspeaker is a hosted service; so, either the site owner or user are required to download anything to use the service.
Another web-based screen reader is WebAnywhere. WebAnywhere doesn't need to be downloaded or installed; it works right in the browser.

WebAnywhere: A Screen Reader On-the-Go


Comparison Chart

Screen Reader
CreatorPlatformLicense
ChromeVoxGoogle
 ChromeOS or with a speech processor, Linux, Mac, Windows (For use on Chrome Only) Free
Fire Vox Charles L Chen Unix, Linux, Windows, Mac (For use on Firefox only) Free and Open Source
JAWS Freedom Scientific Windows and DOS Commercial for Windows; Freeware for DOS
Microsoft Narrator Microsoft Windows Commercial
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA)
 NonVisual Desktop Access Project
 Windows Free and Open-Source
ReadSpeakerReadSpeaker Holding B.V.
Web-Based
Free for Users, Commercial
TalkBack
 Google Android 1.6+
 Open-Source
VoiceOver Apple Inc. Mac OS X, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV Free, Commercial
WebAnywhere University of Washington
 Web-Based Free and Open-Source

As seen by looking at Wikipedia's comparison chart of screen readers, a number of commercial and free options are available, Screen Reader Options.
Braille Reader
Some prefer to use a Braille Reader to access the internet because they are already familiar with that technology, but they may also use a screen reader.

NVDA is a free screen reader for windows, that rivals JAWS. Professional screen reader for mac reads .pdf. If you look at the latest screen reader survey ( Screen Reader User Survey #5 Results ) you will see NVDA is in second place. If you have reliable proof that most of your users do use JAWS, I'd suggest buying it.

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Jaws Screen Reader Download

  • See Read & Write Gold for Windows and Read & Write Gold for Mac. Screen Readers Supported by the University of Michigan JAWS Screen Reader (Windows) Manufacturer: Freedom Scientific. Documentation is available through the Help menu in JAWS. Key JAWS Concepts.
  • So it's got to the point where my browsers are no longer compatible with my version of JAWS for windows screen reader. Using JAWS 10 on Windows 7.
  • Apr 13, 2016  Hi Owen, To the best of my knowledge, you cannot use Jaws on OS X, as I believe it is Windows only software. However, both the MacBook and iPad come with a built in screen reader.
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